Jealousy
by Levi Ackerman
Summary: Makoto's strange behavior after prefecturals has Haru tensed up. Rin notices, and tries to fix things, in his own roundabout and highly questionable way. "Why can't you both just sort out your shit already and stop subjecting all of us to your combined sadness because it's pissing off!" "You signed me up for what!" [makoharu, two-shot, following eternal summer episode 6]
1. Lap 1

_Disclaimer: I don't own Free!_

_A/N - so the last episode (6) of Eternal Summer made me cry and has given me a heartache which I can still, literally feel in my chest. I wrote this to make myself feel better. Take it maybe as how I think episode 7-8 should go, kind of. _

_This will have 2 parts (or 2 laps as I call them, lame, I know...) and I'll post the 2nd one soon. _

_There will be MakoHaru, but largely tense in this chapter, building up. The happy and fluffy MakoHaru comes next chapter! Though this chapter has Rin and Makoto bonding, and Rin being the good guy, because I love Rin, and I actually think he would act like this. _

_If you haven't seen the latest Free! episode, be warned for spoilers. You almost may think that Makoto is OOC if you haven't seen it, just a warning. _

_Dedication: I never do dedications when writing fics. But I had to this time. So, Tachibana Makoto, this is for you. I mean it. You're a precious, precious angel. Stay strong, everyone loves you, and Haru loves you the most and he'll show you, soon enough, how much. _

* * *

**Jealousy**

* * *

**Lap 1 **

* * *

**Start**

* * *

The train ride back from prefecturals was awkwardly silent. Awkward, because silence itself had never been an issue between Haru and Makoto. With their uncanny joint ability to read one another's minds and expressions, words had never been a prerequisite for conversation. The silence on train rides had always been comfortable; usually Makoto would take out his ipod and offer one end of his earphones to Haru, and they would share, alternatively selecting songs. Makoto even had a 'Haru's favorites' playlist on his ipod, and vice-versa, though Haru's own ipod was woefully underused, since he had always preferred sharing with Makoto. But that day, it didn't look like Makoto would be willing to share - a first for him, one that surprised Haru, but then again, recently, Makoto had been surprising him with a lot of 'firsts'.

For one thing, Makoto had _never _challenged Haru to a race before, ever. It had always been Rin who had goaded Haru on, and though initially the races had been wholly troublesome - because Haru _really _didn't care about his timings and whatnot - eventually he grew accustomed to Rin and his competitive spirit, and even grew to enjoy their rivalry, once the animosity had simmered down.

But Makoto… Makoto had never been competitive like Rin; it just wasn't in his nature. And he had certainly never challenged or gone against Haru in… _anything. _Even when it came to small things - deciding where to go eat dinner, deciding who got the comfier side of Makoto's bed during sleepovers, deciding who got the dolphin keychain at Iwatobi swim club - ever since they had been kids, not once had Haru or Makoto fought or competed over anything. Potential contests had always been nipped in the bud, as either Makoto or Haru (usually Makoto) would immediately concede to giving the other what they wanted and settling for something else. In fact, unlike with Rin, Makoto and Haru's relationship had been devoid of any friction at all - at least till that point.

Haru glimpsed over at the boy next to him. Makoto's green eyes - usually so full of warmth - were glazed, distant, as he stared out of the window. His lips were tight, the lines of his face unusually hard. Haru could hear the muffled music emitting from Makoto's earphones - 'Rage On' by Oldcodex. Sighing, Haru pulled out his own ipod, sliding it out of it's sock - blue with white stripes to match Makoto's green and white one - and plugged in his own earphones. It was playing Future Fish, the new Style Five song, one of Makoto's favorites. Rin had introduced them to Style Five a year ago, and Makoto had loved the music, and eventually Haru had grown to like it too. Haru lay back and sighed, his eyes flicking over to Makoto again. It was going to be a long ride.

Makoto was silent on the walk back from the station as well. When they reached the foot of the staircase leading up to Makoto's house, Haru lingered, but Makoto immediately turned right.

"See you tomorrow, Haru."

His voice sent a chill down Haru's spine, like he had been doused in icy water - there was nothing unfriendly about Makoto's tone, but it was devoid of its usual warmth.

"Wait!"

Makoto stopped, turning around. "Haru?"

"I - " Haru broke off, unsure what to say, and finally settled on just asking outright. "Are you okay? You seem upset."

Makoto stared at him for a few seconds before rapidly gaining composure and forcing a smile. "I'm fine, Haru, just a bit tired, and nervous about the relay tomorrow! It's nothing."

"But - "

"Don't worry about me," Makoto ploughed on, still wearing that fake smile that made Haru's insides twist uncomfortably. "You need to get rest for tomorrow's big race. You'll be swimming your lap against Sousuke after all!"

Haru stared after Makoto's retreating back, wanting to call out, stop him, say something - _don't lie to me, tell me what's wrong, what did I do, are you mad at me, why are you upset, what can I do to make it better, how can I fix things - _but instead, all he was able to manage was a mumbled "G'night," before he trudged up the stairs. Haru turned around after a few steps, out of habit, expecting to see Makoto looking up at him, smiling, a second goodbye.

There was nobody.

Haru pulled his Iwatobi jacket closer to him, hugging himself, and continued walking.

* * *

The next morning, Haru left his house five minutes earlier than their usual meeting time, and waited on the steps. Five minutes passed, and then ten - it wasn't like Makoto to be late, especially on such an important day. They had collectively decided with Nagisa and Rei that they would reach the arena an hour early to practice their passes for the relay. Finally, Haru came to the conclusion that Makoto had been exhausted and overslept, probably forgetting their plan to meet up early. He found himself at the Tachibana's doorstep, and knocked.

A bright, grinning young face answered. "Morning, Haru-nii!" Ran chirped happily.

"Good morning Ran," Haru replied, patting the little girl on the head as she latched herself to his leg. "Where's Makoto?"

"Oh! Nii-chan left early," Ran said, pulling back. "He said he had some errands to run." Her face scrunched up cutely. "I thought he would have told you?"

Haru's heart sank - Makoto _never _left without him - "Oh. He must have forgotten. Thanks, Ran."

"Good luck for your relay!" Ran hollered after him.

* * *

When Haru reached the stadium, Makoto was already there, as expected - along with Nagisa and Rei.

"Haru-chan!" "Good morning Haruka-senpai," the other two greeted respectively and Haru nodded at them, before turning to Makoto and narrowing his eyes.

"Sorry about today morning," Makoto replied, pleasantly enough. "I had to run some errands and - "

"Ran told me," Haru said.

"Ah. Okay."

There was an awkward silence after that, and Makoto refused to meet his eyes.

"You could have told me," Haru grumbled. "I would have left earlier if you had stuff to do."

"I didn't want to bother you," Makoto said coolly, and Haru felt like he had been punched in the gut.

_Since when do you think me spending time with you is a bother?!_

They had always done things together - even small things like errands, and chores, and babysitting Makoto's siblings - it made no sense.

Haru didn't have time to argue then, because Nagisa and Rei had started for the pool.

"Let's go practice," was all Makoto said, and with a heavy heart, Haru followed him.

* * *

The relay practice went off well enough. The water washing over his body as he sliced through it provided a somewhat calming effect for Haru, and he relaxed slightly - he hadn't even noticed how tense and uptight he had been. As he glided through the pool, thoughts of Makoto inundated his mind - and then suddenly, Haru could feel the water splashing around his feet, he could feel his breaths grow shorter and more erratic, his arms straining to push through the water, _fighting _it. His palm slammed against the tile wall and Haru emerged, panting. He took a few moments to collect his breath, before extending an arm and looking up.

There was no strong, warm hand wrapping around his own, no Makoto gazing down on him with shining green eyes and a proud smile, no "well done, Haru-chan". Haru's eyes found Makoto - standing over by the side of the pull, talking to Rei and - Seijurou Mikoshiba?

His heart dropped even further, and Haru scowled.

"Well done, Haru-chan," a voice drawled teasingly, and a hand was held out to him. Haru's eyes snapped up, his expression darkening.

"Don't call me that, Rin," he snapped.

Rin snorted. "You know how much of an idiot you look like right now? Can't even get out of a pool by yourself anymore?"

"Shut up," Haru muttered, ignoring the proffered hand and hoisting himself out the pool with his own strength.

"I suppose since Makoto's always there to do it for you…" Rin's eyes flicked over to Makoto, and then to Haru, his eyebrows knitting together. "Hey, is everything okay between you two?"

"Of course it is," Haru said, more sharply than he had intended to, and Rin raised an eyebrow, whistling.

"Somebody's more strung up than usual today."

"..."

"Don't tell me… is Makoto actually upset that you beat him yesterday?"

"He's not like you," Haru snapped, and Rin looked mildly insulted for a few moments before noddingly.

"You're right though. Makoto's too angelic to get worked up about something like that. Besides, I doubt he could even face the prospect of beating his precious Haru-chan."

"You should stop worrying about Makoto and focus on your own relay," Haru advised.

"I should be telling _you_ that," Rin shot back. "You're swimming against _Sousuke. _And from what I just saw, your form is completely off."

Haru swallowed, unease growing within him. So it had been that obvious, that even Rin had noticed. Then again, Rin was bound to notice; he was Haru's rival after all.

"Rin-senpaiiiiii!" The hurricane that was Momotaro suddenly descended upon them, golden eyes bright. "Rin-senpai, thank you so so so so SO much!"

"What the fuck, get off me," Rin snarled as Momotaro jumped him from the back. "What the hell, Momo, you moron!"

"Sousuke-senpai told me," Momotaro practically screeched into Rin's ear. "That you put me in the relay!"

"Oh yeah." Rin flicked back his hair with one hand, pushing Momo's face away from his with the other. "That. I'll cut you though, if you don't get off me _right _now."

"I'm so happy," Momo gushed, detaching himself. "I have been presented with yet another chance to win the beautiful Gou-chan's heart!"

"The hell?! I wasn't joking when I said I'd cut you! Leave my sister alone!"

"And that Rin-senpai put me on the relay team and gave me this chance means that I have support of the family!"

"It fucking does not mean anything like that!"

Haru sighed, walking away and leaving them to it. He started making his way over to where Makoto was, but bumped into a flustered-looking Nitori.

"S-senpai!" Nitori cried, looking distraught. "I'm so sorry I bumped into you!"

"It's fine."

"Senpai your… your…"

"What is it?"

"Your swimming yesterday was - it was downright inspirational!" Nitori gushed admiratively. "Especially in the 200 m race! I actually thought that Tachibana-senpai would win, but in the middle of the last leg you caught up and overtook him! It was amazing! Though Tachibana-senpai was amazing too! Who knew he could swim the front crawl so well when his specialty is back! And he even beat Momo by a full second!"

"That - that's true," Haru said. "I'll tell Makoto you said that. He'll be happy."

"Oh would you?" Nitori looked delighted. "You really are the best, Haruka-senpai! I understand why Rin-senpai considers you his rival."

And with that, Nitori scampered away to find his beloved Rin-senpai.

* * *

The first thirty minutes went in the women's individual medley events. Samezuka, somehow, had ended up right next to Iwatobi on the bleachers. The Mikoshiba brothers were trying to persuade an increasingly murderous-looking Gou into entering the women's medley.

"I told you I can't swim that well," Kou snapped, flushing. "And don't call me Gou-kun! Or Gou-chan! My name is Kou!"

"But Gou-chan, you don't need to swim," Momo entreated. "Just flop around in the water, wearing a swimsuit. Or don't even enter the water, just stand there. In a swimsuit."

"Two piece," Seijurou added. "It must be a two piece."

"What the hell is wrong with you two?" Kou shrieked. "Perverts!"

"Now, now, Gou-kun, if you're allowed to admire all the muscles, we should be given something worth looking at too, don't you think," Seijurou reasoned, waggling his eyebrows.

"What the hell?! Onii-chan, _say _something!"

"Oi! Mikoshiba assholes! The next one of you who tries to hit on my sister is going to be thrown over the stands and straight into the pool!"

"Oooooh, I don't mind," Momo said excitedly. "It's a pool full of girls after all!"

Rei and Nagisa were engaged in a conversation with Nitori, who kept tugging at the back straps of his goggles.

"No, you're doing it all wrong," Rin said disapprovingly. "It needs to be smooth. That's not beautiful at all."

"I bit Rei-chan can do it really well!" Nagisa said chirpily. "Rei-chan show him!"

"Rin-san does do it rather beautifully," Rei agreed. "I suppose I could emulate his coolness. I'm already swimming butterfly like him, after all."

"Oi, don't go comparing my butterfly to yours, speedo megane," Rin called from over where he had Momo in a headlock. "You still have a long way to go!"

Nagisa was laughing, as was Nitori. Haru looked over to Makoto, expecting him to join into the conversation, to crack a joke, to laugh. But Makoto wasn't even smiling. He was staring into the distance, a frown pulling at his lips and an inexplicably _sad _look in his eyes. It made Haru's heart ache. Makoto _never _looked that said.

"Makoto," Haru said softly, nudging the boy next to him, jerking Makoto out of his reverie.

"Ah! Haru. Sorry, I was spacing out."

"Are you… are you really _that_ nervous about today's relay?"

"Sure I am, it's Samezuka after all."

"But you're being… weird."

"Really?" Makoto tilted his head, giving Haru yet another blatantly fake smile. "I don't know why you'd think that. Sorry to worry you though!"

Haru wanted to call him out, because it was clear that Makoto was lying to him. Makoto had hidden things before, but he had never _lied, _not to Haru's face like this. But he couldn't say something, not when they were sitting amidst the entire Iwatobi and Samezuka swim team. Makoto suddenly stood up.

I'm going to swing by the locker rooms and grab a bottle of juice, do you want anything?"

"I'll come with you," Haru said immediately, standing up as well.

"No, no need, enjoy the races," Makoto said quickly. "Besides, everyone is here, Rin too!"

And then he was gone, before Haru could even protest. Out of the corner of his eye, Haru saw Rin get up, a few moments later, and saunter down the direction Makoto had gone in.

"Bathroom break," he called over his shoulder to an anxious Nitori. "Be back in a bit, _don't_ follow me. I'd like to do my business in peace, thanks."

* * *

"Hey."

Makoto looked up, slightly surprised. "Rin."

"Sup." Rin plopped himself down on the bench, sliding next to him. "Thought I'd find you here. Shouldn't the captain be with his swim team?"

"I could say the same for you," Makoto pointed out, and Rin smirked.

"True. But I needed to put some space between myself and Mikoshiba."

Makoto looked sympathetic. "Which one?"

"Both," Rin said darkly. "And it wouldn't be good captaincy on my part if I broke his legs before the relay."

"...I suppose not."

"Though given it's backstroke…" Rin said thoughtfully. "Momo could manage with two arms and a leg, right? Kicks aren't _that _important, are they?"

"Why would you ask me?" Makoto looked alarmed.

"Well you're the expert."

"Ah, well…"

"Jokes aside, the real reason I'm here is for you."

"For me?"

"Don't look so shocked," Rin told him. "You and Haru had a fight, right?"

"Haru sent you then?" Makoto frowned.

"No, I came here on my own accord," Rin said, sounding annoyed. "Answer my question."

"Haru told you something then?"

"God, no, like that freak would say _shit_. I'm not blind, Makoto."

"H-huh?"

"The past half an hour you've looked like a dying kitten," Rin said frankly, and Makoto winced at the analogy. "And Haru keeps looking at you all sadly. It's depressing. Plus, he completely screwed up his front crawl this morning, and it would be a disgrace if he swam the relay like that…"

"Ah, so you're worried about Haru, then? And the relay?"

"Damnit, Makoto, what's your problem?" Rin snapped, banging a fist on the wooden bench. "Everything isn't always about Haru, okay!"

"I'm sorry?"

"I'm worried about _you_ too, you know!"

Makoto's expression softened. "Rin…"

"He's depressed because you're depressed and you're both clearly pining for each other so I don't get why you can't just fucking sort it out already and stop subjecting all of us to your sadness because it's pissing off!"

Makoto's eyes were wide, and he stared at Rin in surprise after the sudden outburst.

"I know it's not the same as before," Rin mumbled, when Makoto didn't say anything. "But I - I care about these things, okay, and I - "

"Thank you, Rin," Makoto said breathlessly, interrupting him.

"What - "

"I'll sort out whatever I have to with Haru later. But thank you."

"Whatever, it's not like I did anything," Rin muttered, looking away. "Besides, you and Haru are too attached to one another for your own good."

"That's probably true," Makoto murmured. "At least about me. I don't think Haru - "

"Please, Haru is ridiculously dependent on you even if he acts like he's not."

"Haru's just… free…"

"He isn't. Today morning after your relay practice he was holding his hand out, expecting you to pull him out of the pool. You should have seen his face when he realized that you weren't there. He looked like a kicked puppy."

A spasm of regret crossed Makoto's face, but Rin also noted that he was blushing.

"You baby him around too much," Rin continued, and Makoto couldn't help but notice the slight bitter note that colored his voice, and the dark look in his eyes. Makoto recognized it immediately, only because it mirrored his own emotions, emotions he had kept bottled up for years and had only recently allowed himself to admit.

"Rin, are you… jealous?"

"What the fuck?" Rin glared at him, eyes flashing. "Why the hell would I be jealous of him? Or you? Either of you?!"

"Of - him - wait - what?" Makoto shook his head, confused. Rin's statement really hadn't gone with his train of thought. He had expected for Rin to be jealous of Makoto's closeness to Haru and wanted Makoto to back off so that he could get closer to Haru. He voiced this opinion and Rin stared at him as if he had sprouted a second head.

"Are you fucking senile?"

"Then what?"

"Why would I want Haru to _myself_?" Rin spat out. "I'm not as patient as you, I don't think I could stand him for long periods of time. He'd make we want to drown him."

"You don't mean that, Rin, you - "

"Look, I know I fucked up okay, with Australia and everything. But the fact remains that even if I had stayed here, I would have still been the outsider, the third wheel. It was like that in elementary school too, you and Haru have always been inseparable, you'll have shared this creepy, mind-reading bond, you behave like a married couple, and I've accepted that, okay! But you don't need to rub it into everyone's faces, and - " Comprehension dawned on Makoto as he listen to Rin's rambling, which definitely held undertones of envy, whether Rin would admit it or not. " - whatever you want, I don't care, and I'm definitely _not _jealous."

"Alright," Makoto conceded, seeing that Rin wasn't going to admit it. "You know, Rin…"

"What now?"

"I - I was jealous, actually," Makoto finally said. "Of you."

Rin stared at him incredulously. "..._why_?"

"Because of what you and Haru have…" Makoto mumbled, warmth seeping into his cheeks; it was painful to admit it, least of all to Rin, but he figured since Rin had practically almost-confessed his jealousy, Makoto may as well get his issue off his chest.

"We're rivals." Rin narrowed his eyes. "Don't tell me _that's _the reason you're upset!"

"Just part of it," Makoto mumbled and Rin facepalmed.

"We're both idiots, aren't we," he muttered. "Jealous for the stupidest reasons ever."

"It's not stupid," Makoto insisted. "You and Haru have this epic rivalry going on, and when you swim, it's always all about one another. I just - I don't know where I fit in."

"Always all about _beating _one another," Rin corrected. "And maybe it was like that, yeah, but not anymore. I don't know about Haru, but I definitely have a ton of other reasons why I swim now. I still don't see why this makes you _jealous_? We're just rivals."

"Isn't there something more to it?" Makoto pressed, and Rin shook his head, looking confused. Seeing that Makoto still looked uneasy, Rin sighed.

"Look, I'll admit, when it comes to swimming, Haru is pretty damn awesome. And he's kind of considered the goal for a lot of people, at least when it comes to freestyle. I'm pretty sure Sousuke considers him a rival too, and I don't think the pair of them have ever exchanged a word. As for me, yeah, I like having someone who actually measures up to me, someone who pushes me to do better."

"I think Haru feels the same way," Makoto said quietly.

Rin shrugged. "He probably does. Nothing wrong with healthy competition. But sometimes it gets frustrating too, you know. Sometimes I wish that Haru would just swim another damn stroke or be in another heat or prefecture… or another region altogether." Makoto looked shocked, and Rin quickly amended, " - but of course he's my friend, so I wouldn't actually want anything like that to happen."

"Okay…"

"I still don't get what you're so damn depressed about," Rin snapped. "Not everyone needs a rival, you know! And some people aren't even rival-material!"

"What - what's that supposed to mean?" Makoto looked slightly hurt. "Are you saying I'm not good enough to be your - or Haru's rival?"

"No, nothing like that," Rin waved him off. "Well… you don't specialize in the same stroke as we do, but that's hardly the case. It's your personality."

"...what does that even mean?"

"It's easy to compete with Haru because sometimes I just want to rile him up enough to make him lose that calm expression of his. It pisses me off how he always acts like he doesn't give a shit, and I know I sound like an asshole, but I'd probably derive some sadistic pleasure from seeing him at least a bit annoyed or worked up."

"Um, okay…"

"But I don't think I could do that with you…" Rin trailed off, considering it, before decidedly shaking his head. "No way. Not you."

"What's wrong with me?"

"You're too damned nice, that's the problem," Rin said. "Even I would feel bad goading you or taunting you. And I wouldn't want to piss you off because I would feel really guilty about it later. Also your face is generally less annoying than Haru's because you actually emote, so I would be less inclined to rile you up."

"Rin…"

"Having a rival is cool, yeah, but there's a lot of shit that comes with it, a lot of fighting, as you saw before. I don't think you're capable of having that kind of relationship with anyone because you'd just give in to what they want, sacrifice your needs for theirs."

"Do I really do that?" Makoto wondered aloud, and Rin smacked his forehead, yet again.

"You don't even realize it do you? Here, I'll give you an example. Remember when I first joined Iwatobi, what two strokes were you specializing in?"

Makoto scratched his head. "Backstroke, obviously. Oh, and breastroke too."

"Right. You were specializing in breast. And I remember you were the best in our entire grade, you won all the medals too."

"I did, didn't I?"

"When did you give it up?"

"When - shortly before our relay, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, and why was that again?"

"So I could focus on backstroke, and because Nagisa was doing breastroke."

"Okay, and after the relay? You never picked it up again, did you?"

"No…"

"Why not?"

"What is this, a police interrogation?"

"Answer my question, Makoto."

"Well, I enjoyed backstroke, and breaststroke was Nagisa's specialty and I didn't want to - oh." Makoto fell silent, the realization hitting him.

"Didn't want to take away from Nagisa, didn't want to defeat him in all the races, didn't want to come in his way as an obstacle that needed to be overcome," Rin finished for him. "Typical Makoto, really. Now you realize why I said you're not exactly rival-material?"

"I - I guess," Makoto muttered. "I was being stupid, wasn't I? About this entire thing?"

"Yeah, you were," Rin agreed.

"I'm surprised at how well you know me after all these years though…"

Rin flushed, but rolled his eyes. "Please. You're easy to read and you haven't changed even a bit."

"Not even a bit?"

"You're taller. And you bulked up. And became more self-sacrificing if that was even possible."

Makoto chuckled. Rin looked rather proud of himself as he flashed his pointed teeth in a grin. "Victory."

Makoto raised his eyebrows, confused, and Rin clarified. "You finally smiled. For real."

"Was I that obvious?"

"Nah, I can just tell. And yeah, you were, that too."

"Ha."

"What? I know you well too, okay," Rin defended. "Remember, in middle school, I was friends with you before I really got close to Haru."

Makoto's eyes crinkled and he smiled reminiscently. "That's true. All three of us were close back then."

"Even now, come to think of it, I actually talk to you more than I talk to him," Rin said. "Though that could be because Haru barely communicates…"

"He thinks things - "

"That doesn't count as communication, Makoto, I don't have mind-reading powers like you do - "

"You figured me out today."

"You're a lot more expressive than Haru."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, and Rin checked his watch. "Twenty more minutes left till the men's medley relay starts."

"And then a break for lunch," Makoto continued. "And then our relay."

"Samezuka versus Iwatobi. Epic rivalry for you, right there."

"Who would have ever thought that we would be captains of rival swim clubs," Makoto said, laughing.

"What can I say, I bring out the rivalry in people," Rin joked. "Haru didn't give a crap about timings and what not before, but now he clearly does, all that nonsense about not caring is utter bullshit."

"You take credit for that?"

"Yep I do. In fact, I should feel insulted."

"Why?"

"You wanted to swim a race against _Haru, _but you never challenged me. Tch."

"I thought you said I'm not rival-material?"

"You aren't, but you challenged Haru, _my _rival, and so for that I feel slighted and think that's it's justified that you challenge me too, so that at least Haru and I are equal."

"No you're being ridiculous," Makoto said, though he was still laughing.

"Hey, Makoto."

"Hm?"

"Nothing I say would convince you to start breast again, right?"

"Why would I? I'm out of practice, and individual events are over. It's my last season swimming too."

"So you - you won't join a swim club in university?"

"I - I haven't really thought about all of that…"

"Ever thought of trying for the Olympics?"

Makoto stared at Rin. "You're joking, right? Isn't that _your _dream?"

"It is," Rin shrugged, flushing slightly. "But that doesn't mean it wouldn't be nice to have you guys with me."

"There's no way I'm good enough," Makoto protested. "No way!"

"That's what you think," Rin snorted. "You won your race by a decent margin this time - "

"It's just prefecturals - "

"And I know for a fact that out of all Iwatobi members, you practice the least."

"Wha - no - that's not true," Makoto spluttered at the accusation.

"Yes it is." Rin sighed. "I've seen you at joint practice. You're always so focused on timing Haru and Nagisa and Rei and helping them out. You spend half as much time on improving your own times and stroke as you could."

"That's not true," Makoto said, but Rin looked at him pointedly and he backtracked. "Well - I - I like helping everyone out, and it's fun doing things as a team! And I practiced enough to win my race!"

"Exactly, so imagine how good you would have been if you had actually practiced more seriously and focused on just yourself, like I did."

"Huh - "

"I have to train thrice as much as you do to develop muscle the way you can. Sousuke said that out of me, you and Haru, you have the body type most suited for the Olympics."

"Rin…" Makoto said sadly. "I really don't think Olympics is even a question here."

"Fine, it may not be," Rin said. "But it annoys me sometimes to see your wasted potential. You're almost as bad as Haru in that regard."

"I'm trying, you know," Makoto said, looking heart. "I even tried for the freestyle this year - "

"200 meter freestyle," Rin pointed out. "When you know that you're built for speed and not stamina."

"Well 100 was kind of yours and Haru's thing and I wouldn't be fast enough - "

"No, don't you get it!" Rin cried. "Look, Haru actually swam his very best during that race, okay. I could tell! It bothered him probably, having to go against you, but he still did. And still, he only managed to catch up and beat you in the last 25 meters."

"Well I'm sure that was his strategy all along. The end of a race is what matters most," Makoto said, shrugging. "There's no way I could beat Haru at freestyle."

"I won't lie, I kind of really wanted you to," Rin said. "Just to see the look on his face. And yours. But then if you beat Haru and Haru beat me… that would kind of suck for me. So I guess I'm glad he won."

"Okay…?"

"But that's not the point! You stayed ahead of him for just about over three fourths of the race, and he only overtook you towards the middle of the last lap! And you wouldn't have fallen behind if you hadn't slowed down so much in the last forty meters or so!"

"Your point?"

"Stamina," Rin said. "You lack the stamina! If you'd just done some stamina building, there's a chance you could have actually come closer to beating Haru in that race!"

"Why do you want me to beat him so badly now?"

"I don't, I'm just saying it for your sake! You're strong, and fast, but your swimming style is so powerful that it uses up a lot of energy, so if you want to maintain speed over a long distance, you need to build up your stamina. Go running, and shit."

"I go for runs along the beach with Haru - "

"Makoto, _please."_

"What?"

"Runs with Haru don't count."

"Why not?!"

"Because Haru, on land at least, is slow as fuck. And knowing you, you probably lower your pace so that you can keep up with him."

"...how do you know that?"

"You were faster than me back in middle school and Haru never even qualified for any of the track races. Plus, I've gone jogging with Haru, once. Never again though."

"Why not?"

"He's a fucking tortoise. When I told him to speed up he gave me some crap about how he didn't care about his speed - not like he _could _have sped up even if he wanted to."

"That's mean."

"What's meaner is that I left him then, and ran ahead."

"Rin!" Makoto looked scandalized. "How could you do that?"

"It was that time, after I slept over at his place," Rin said, before adding accusingly. "You ditched."

"Ah, yeah," Makoto nodded, remembering. "My parents were out for an anniversary trip so Ren and Ran were alone. I had to go back and babysit."

"Anyways, back to my point. You should work on building stamina before regionals."

"Regionals… yeah… okay..."

"What?! I'm serious! Also, um, one more thing, kind of urgent actually," Rin said, checking his watch. "Please don't kill me."

"What did you do?"

"You have a race in ten minutes."

"What? Has the relay been preponed?!"

"No, actually…" Rin smirked at Makoto, leaning forward and slinging an arm around his shoulder. "You're participating in the 200 m individual medley relay."

"_What?!"_

* * *

Haru ran through the corridors, panting slightly. He had searched for ten minutes, but to no avail. Makoto was nowhere to be found, and was definitely taking a long time for someone just getting drinks.

_I hope he's okay._

He stopped suddenly, hearing a familiar, teasing voice. Rin's. Haru walked in the direction of Rin's voice - perhaps Rin could help him search for Makoto - and then froze, as another voice filled the air; familiar and _warm. _

_Makoto._

Unable to contain his curiosity, Haru walked ahead, peering around the corner. Rin and Makoto were there, sitting on a wooden bench, and Rin had his arm around Makoto's shoulders. Makoto looked rather flustered about something, and Rin was laughing. And then Makoto said something - Haru was too far away to make out exactly what - and Rin looked shocked, and then Makoto started laughing.

He was laughing.

A part of Haru felt relieved that at least Makoto seemed happy now, that he seemed okay. A part of him was glad to see Makoto laughing.

But the other part - the ugly part that had made him feel like giving up on quitting swimming after he'd made Rin cry - felt like it had been punched in the gut.

Haru didn't know _why _he felt so uncomfortable looking at the scene in front of him. Rin had always been casual with touching, friendly, and there was nothing more to it. He was just like that, very outgoing, and Makoto was the same, though to a lesser degree. It was good that at least Rin had managed to make Makoto smile and laugh normally, because Haru couldn't.

And that was the problem. Rin had cheered Makoto up, and Haru couldn't do anything. Rin was sitting and laughing with Makoto, the very same Makoto who had barely spoken to Haru since their race.

_What did I do wrong, _Haru wondered, panic overtaking him. Rin's words echoed in his head.

_Is Makoto actually upset that you beat him yesterday. _

_It can't be that though, _Haru told himself, _it has to be something else, Makoto isn't that selfish, he isn't that shallow…_

He wondered why he suddenly felt an urge to sock Rin right in his smirking, laughing face. He'd never been prone to such violent thoughts, and their rivalry had never affected him in such a way before.

_Could I be… jealous?_

Haru hated competing in general, but Rin usually ended up dragging him into it; and eventually Haru realized that he didn't mind competing with Rin.

But not over Makoto.

Haru didn't want to compete with _anyone _over Makoto.

Suddenly, Rin stood up, dragging a rather reluctant-looking Makoto by the arm. Not wanting to seem like an eavesdropper, Haru quickly stepped into a side corridor, waiting for them to pass, before taking another route back up to the bleachers.

* * *

"Wait - you - _what_?!"

Rin grinned. "Thank me later. Let's go, you have a relay to swim!"

"Rin - _how _did you even _do _that! You're not in Iwatobi!"

"Makoto, please, Gou's my sister."

"She betrayed us!"

"She likes me more, clearly," Rin boasted. "Anyways. Individual medley relay starting in… eight minutes. Let's go!"

"I can't swim individual medley!" Makoto moaned, looking flustered. "It's impossible!"

"You can, actually," Rin said. "You have a better chance than anyone at winning it. You're the fastest at back, you'll kill breast if you actually swim it - "

"I haven't swum breast competitively in _years _- "

"Doesn't mean you've forgotten how to swim it - "

"What, _no, _it doesn't work like that Rin!"

"Your front crawl is really good, not as fast as me or Haru, but better than more than half the guys who entered the freestyle. Plus your form is impressive."

"There's a big problem though, in case you forgot," Makoto cried, flailing. "The _butterfly!"_

"Yeah I thought about that," Rin said coolly. "And decided your strategy should be to just wing it."

"Rin! I can't just go and _wing_ it during a competitive race!"

"Rei winged it last year..."

"He didn't, he had trained very hard for that!"

"He was still an amateur. Still kind of is. I mean, come on, if Rei, after just over a year of swimming, could come first in his heat, clearly those morons swimming butterfly aren't doing it right."

"Rei's improved drastically - "

"I know, I know, guess who trained him?"

"Oh yeah, you did, right? I guess we should thank you…"

"You're not surprised?! Did he tell you?"

"No, we kind of found out actually. We saw you guys."

"What?! At night? _How?!"_

"Long story, blame Nagisa… but still, I can't swim butter, Rin, I _can't_! It's the hardest stroke and I have no idea how to do the form."

"Everyone learned butter at Iwatobi," Rin said, before adding as an afterthought. "Except Haru. Because he only swam free and all that jazz."

"It was my worst stroke so I gave up on it!"

"Well ungive up on it now, because you're swimming it! And I bet your worst is still better than some people's best."

"You just want to see me humiliate myself in your stroke," Makoto cried.

Rin smirked. "I promise I won't laugh."

"Rin!"

"That wasn't my intention, I swear. Makoto, you actually have a chance at this!" Rin removed his arm from around Makoto to grip his shoulders instead. "I'm serious. You're really strong at three of the four strokes, and your back will more than make up for your butterfly!"

"I don't even have the stamina to finish 200 m properly!"

"Yeah, I saw that last race. Idiot. Just pace yourself properly this time, don't waste all your energy in the first three laps. Well actually, given the first lap is backstroke, you may as well get a good lead to start off with."

"Is there any way I can forfeit?" Makoto asked, hanging his head.

"As the Iwatobi captain? You'll disgrace your club."

"...you're really evil, you know."

"Hey, I'm doing this for your sake."

"Fine," Makoto relented. "I'll enter the relay. On one condition though."

"Shoot."

"You enter it with me."

"Wh - what?!" Rin let go of his shoulders immediately, as if stung. "You're kidding, right."

"I'm dead serious." Makoto's green eyes had an odd glint to them. "If I'm about to humiliate myself like this… well, I don't want to be swimming alone. Besides, you specialize in _two _of the four, and you've definitely learned breast and back, I've seen you swim them."

"Yes, and you probably remember what a _disaster_ my back was," Rin said, going red at the memory. "I couldn't even go straight."

"I remember," Makoto laughed. "You kept hitting all the other swimmers. Don't worry though, you'll realize if you hit the divider between your lanes."

"My breast looks more like a doggy paddle!"

"You exaggerate, your breast was decent back in the days."

"I'm not doing it, Makoto!"

"Consider it training for the Olympics."

"What the hell?!"

"Or a challenge. Consider it a challenge, from me. Weren't you the one whining about how I challenged Haru and not you? Well, here you go."

"I was wrong about you," Rin muttered. "I thought you were an angel, but you're _evil _Makoto, you're manipulative and evil."

"You're one to talk! I still say it's not too late to forfeit."

"Like hell you'll forfeit!" Rin stood up, yanking on Makoto's arm. "Let's go!"

"What did I ever do to deserve this?"

"Consider this my way of repayment for that voice message you left a year ago, telling me to join the Samezuka swim team."

"Ah, you got that, didn't you?"

"Yeah. I had already made up my mind to join though."

"I did that for your sake though!"

"And I'm doing this for your sake. Thank me later."

* * *

"Onii-chan! Makoto-senpai!" Kou cried out in relief, when the pair arrived, still bickering. "Where have you been?! Makoto-senpai's race starts in five minutes!"

"Race?" Nagisa asked bemused. "What race?"

"The individual medley relay!" Kou announced. "I know it's last minute, but he's decided to take part!"

"Really?" Rei considered this. "I suppose that is plausible given Makoto's senpai's mastery of 50% of the strokes. However, senpai, I wasn't aware that you were practiced in the beautiful stroke that is the butterfly. Or breast."

"Mako-chan's actually really good at breaststroke," Nagisa piped up. "Or he used to be, till he quit. Why did you quit breaststroke by the way, Mako-chan?"

"He didn't want to double specialize," Rin responded quickly. "And Rei, in response to your question, he isn't. Makoto _fails _at butterfly."

"So then why are you entering?" Rei looked at Makoto, aghast.

"More like being forced to enter," Makoto said, glancing over at Rin.

"Rin forced you to enter an individual relay?" Haru finally spoke, his blue eyes piercing as his glance darted from Makoto to Rin and back. "Why?"

"In my defense, he forced me back," was Rin's reply.

"What?!" Kou shrieked. "Onii-chan, don't tell me you're entering it too!"

"He definitely is," Makoto said grimly. "I just had him sign up."

"But onii-chan, your backstroke - "

"Shut up, Gou," Rin snapped. "

"So Rin-chan and Haru-chan are epic rivals, but then yesterday Mako-chan challenged Haru-chan to a race," Nagisa recounted, eyes wide. "And now Rin-chan is making Mako-chan compete against him. It's like a three-way!"

"Don't call it that!" Rin yelped, reddening. "Look - Makoto and I have to go or we're going to miss our race." He yanked Makoto by his jacket. "See you guys later. Be sure to cheer for us."

* * *

"I'm going to be a laughingstock," Rin grumbled, as he and Makoto made their way to the pool. "I can't believe I agreed to this."

"Same here," Makoto said.

"Still, the first lap is back, so at least you'll start off looking good. Me, people are going to think I'm a moron!"

"Nobody's going to think that once they see you in the last two laps. Besides, the last two laps count the most, right? That's when I'm going to look like the moron…"

"Isn't it funny that we both suck at each other's main strokes."

"Hm. Maybe we should practice together more often."

"Sounds like a plan. If I don't drown myself out of embarrassment after the first lap. Or worse, bang my head against the wall like that idiot, Momo."

"He did that?" Makoto winced. "Ouch."

"Yeah. Made his best timing and then sank like a rock right after. Moron."

"Just make sure you stretch your arm back and - "

"Damnit, Makoto, now's not the time to lecture me about theory."

"I wouldn't mind some quick pointers for butterfly."

"Just - kind of let yourself go. Let your body be free."

"Great advice. You sound like Haru."

"Oi! I resent that!"

"You know, I don't think we're actually going to be swimming _together _for much of this race."

"You're right. You'll be way ahead for the first half, and once I catch up, I'll pull ahead of you almost immediately."

"_If _you catch up."

"Hah. Are you challenging me, Makoto?"

"What if I am?"

Rin pulled on the back strap of his goggles, snapping them against the back of his head. "I'll show you!"

* * *

They lined up at their respective lanes - adjoining ones - and were about to jump into the water, when a new voice greeted them. "Rin. Tachibana. I wasn't aware I had competition in this race."

Rin spun around. "Sousuke?! You - you're - "

"Wow, Rin, thanks for telling me about this," Makoto said, unusually sarcastic.

"I swear to God I had no clue," Rin said, before rounding on Sousuke. "You never told me you were taking part in the individual medley! I thought you were sitting out this tournament!"

"Yeah, well." Sousuke rolled his shoulders and cracked his knuckles. "I got bored." He raised his arms, stretching a bit, muscles rippling, before sliding into the pool. "Good luck. Don't cry if you lose, Rin."

"Oh, shut up!" Rin yelled half-heartedly, before turning to Makoto. "Makoto. Sousuke's actually a beast at all the strokes. We're _fucked."_

"I figured that out," Makoto said grimly, before his face lightened into a smile. "Oh well. I wasn't really aiming to win anyways. At least you're here with me."

"Yup," Rin nodded. "The fight is between you and me."

"Kind of unfair when you consider that your two specialties are naturally the two fastest strokes."

"Well, you only suck at one of the strokes, whereas I suck at two, so it evens out."

"Alright then," Makoto said amiably. "See you at the finish line?"

Rin winked at him, baring his teeth. "Careful not to get bitten."

* * *

**tbc...**

* * *

_A/N - I used some things (Makoto and Rin being friends as kids, Makoto previously specializing in breaststroke) from the High Speed manga, so I guess they could be considered canon. _

_I really think this should happen. Makoto deserves loving. And MakoRin bromance is a thing. _

_Sorry if this didn't have enough MakoHaru for you! The next chapter will feature BOTH the relays, plus a MakoHaru reconciliation, yet!  
_

_In case you can't wait, I wrote another short MakoHaru thing. It's on my profile, check out the fic 'Why do you swim?'; I tried to keep that one in tone with the anime (even the dialogues I thought of in Japanese and then translated) so it's not quite as free-flowing as this one. But it has MakoHaru hurt/comfort fluff which will hopefully alleviate some of the angst! _

_Anyways, see you next water time! :D _


	2. Lap 2

_A/N Four things: _

_1) **LittleSwimmerGirl** very kindly pointed out that I messed up the order for the individual medley relay and it's different from the real relay. Sorry for that error, I had no clue! I've fixed it in this chapter! Thanks for letting me know! _

_2) I realized, according to High Speed that Rin is actually good at breaststroke (or was as a kid) and he and Makoto used to compete in breast; they both eventually switched to other strokes. I guess we'll have to pretend that isn't true for this. Sorry _

_3) I think Sousuke is swimming butterfly in the relay and Rin is swimming freestyle, but I've switched the order here to Rin for butterfly (his speciality) and Sousuke for free (so he can compete with Haru!) and hope that's okay!_

_4) For the cheers/chants, I've used the japanese words, romanized. Sorry if that bothers anyone. I just find it weird in my head to have them shout 'swim swim swim swim swim Makoto' _

_Disclaimer: I don't own Free!_

* * *

**Jealousy**

* * *

**Lap 2**

* * *

**Start**

* * *

"We should rotate out, like a double relay," Makoto muttered. "You do butter and free, I'll do breast and back."

"That's actually a really good idea," Rin agreed. "That way we'd even have a chance to beat him."

"We'd get disqualified though. _Again_."

"Might be worth it to see the look on his face…" Rin mused.

Makoto eyed Sousuke warily; the guy was built, moreso than even Makoto himself. Makoto had seen him swimming only once but his style had been smooth, dangerous, like a great underwater predator as he sliced through the water, managing to tie with Haru - despite the fact that Haru had been given quite a good lead - and ending his lap looking unfazed and only slightly tired while Haru had been left gasping and panting for breath.

Sousuke was currently warming up in the water, stretching his legs out, giving a few powerful kicks. As the other swimmers began lining up at their respective lanes, he pushed himself out of the water, casting a bemused look at Rin and Makoto who had both jumped into the water, turning to hold the bars and get into position.

"You do know the order in individual relay is different, right?" Sousuke asked, raising an eyebrow. Makoto blinked, confused, and Rin stared at him for a few moments before flushing.

"Of course I know that," Rin growled. "Makoto and I are just - stretching." He proceeded to hold the bars and practice his kicks, mimicking Sousuke's actions from earlier.

"Sure," Sousuke said, though he didn't look convinced.

* * *

"Rin!" Makoto moaned as they clambered back out of the pool. "We're going to make fools of ourselves!"

"We're not!" Rin hissed. "I just forgot that the order for individual is different, confused it with the team relay!"

"Given your obsession with team relays, that's bound to happen," Sousuke commented, looking mildly amused.

"Oh shut up," Rin growled at him, readjusting the straps of his goggles.

Sousuke turned to Makoto, who looked entirely lost. "Butter, back, breast, free," Sousuke grunted, and Makoto flushed. "Thanks!"

"We never swam individual medley at Iwatobi," Rin added, as justification.

Sousuke shrugged. "Whatever. Don't come crying to me if you lose, _Rin-chan_. Good luck, Tachibana." He sauntered away to his lane, positioning himself.

Makoto turned to Rin, hyperventilating. "Rin, butterfly is first, I'm going to look like an idiot!"

"Too late to worry about that now," Rin muttered, getting into position. "Stop freaking out, Makoto, it's starting."

* * *

"Will the be okay?" Nagisa was fretting. "If Mako-chan can't do butterfly and Rin-chan can't do backstroke?"

"I'm sure Rin-senpai is talented enough," Nitori supplied loyally, "to swim any stroke he chooses."

"No, Rin's back was a disaster," Haru spoke up quietly. "And Makoto's butterfly is… different."

"Someone record a video," Seijurou said. "Good blackmail material for when Rin makes it to the Olympics."

"I'll do it, nii-chan!" Momo volunteered immediately.

"Nanase-senpai, why didn't you enter?" Nitori asked. "Both your rival and your best friend are competing in it."

"I only swim free," Haru deadpanned.

"Can't wait to see this Sousuke guy swim," Seijurou said. "Everyone at Samezuka has been raving about him."

"Sousuke-san is phenomenal!" Nitori gushed.

"Loads better than you, nii-chan," Momo added cheekily.

"Oi, baka-otouto, watch how you talk to your aniki!" Seijurou barked.

"Everyone shut up, it's starting!" Kou squealed.

* * *

The gunshot sounded, and seconds into the race, Rin and Sousuke had pulled ahead easily, a good 5-10 meter gap between them and the rest of the swimmers.

"They're neck to neck!" Nitori cried. "I can't tell who is winning!"

"Mako-chan's having a hard time, isn't he," Nagisa said despondently.

"Makoto-senpai's butterfly isn't beautiful at all," Rei bemoaned, burying his face in his hands.

"It's his weakest stroke," Haru said sharply. "Wait for the next leg. He'll catch up to them."

Makoto's butterfly was clearly his weakest stroke - he splashed around too much and was much slower in the water than he usually was, lagging behind Rin and Sousuke, and even three of the other swimmers. However, when the first switch came, everything changed.

"Mako-chan's pulling ahead!" Nagisa cheered. "At this rate he'll catch up!"

"His backstroke is beautiful," Rei proclaimed. "Flawless!"

"What the hell is Rin doing though?" Seijurou snorted, as Rin zigzagged through the water. "Momo you're recording this right?"

"Yes sir!"

"Onii-chan's never been able to swim backstroke straight," Kou said, hanging her head.

"Makoto just caught up with Rin-senpai!" Nitori gasped. "Sousuke is still ahead of them both though!"

Indeed, Makoto had quickly caught up with Rin, closing the large gap after butterfly with his specialty, backstroke. Sousuke, however, was another story. Sousuke's back wasn't as fast as Makoto's but it was nowhere close to as abysmal as Rin's, and he maintained his lead. Rin and Makoto made the next turn at nearly the same moment, but Makoto quickly pulled ahead with his powerful breaststroke, cutting through the water.

"I didn't know Makoto-senpai was _this_ good at breaststroke!" Rei exclaimed.

"He won a lot of races in elementary school," Haru informed him. "It's actually his second best stroke, he just doesn't swim it often."

"I wonder why," Rei mused.

"Breaststroke seems to be Sousuke-senpai's weakest stroke," Kou noted. "Makoto-senpai is catching up with him!"

"Nah, he won't make it," Seijurou said. "The gap is too big."

"Rin-senpai's still a bit behind though," Nitori said woefully, before brightening. "But the last round is free! He'll catch up then!"

"Mako-chan's free is really fast too," Nagisa pointed out.

"Not as fast as Rin-senpai's!" Nitori argued. "He may be able to close the gap!"

"Guess none of them are catching Sousuke-senpai though," Momo said. "Free is his best stroke."

Indeed, though Makoto was steadily catching up to Sousuke, Sousuke managed to make the turn an entire second before him. Rin followed, about two seconds after Makoto.

"It's the last lap!" Nagisa cried. "We should be cheering them on!"

"I'm torn!" Kou cried. "Who am I supposed to cheer for?"

"Since we're all here and we're all friends with them both, let's just cheer for both of them," Nagisa suggested.

* * *

"Ike - ike ike ike ike Makoto! Osse - osse osse osse osse Makoto!"

"Ike - ike ike ike ike Rin! Osse - osse osse osse osse Rin!"

"Matsuoka! Tachibana! Matsuoka! Tachibana! Faito! Faito! Faito! Ohhhhhhh - !"

"...hey, shouldn't we be cheering for Sousuke too?"

"Please, neither of them are catching up to him, he's too far ahead. He doesn't need cheering."

"True that."

* * *

The two Iwatobi and Samezuka captains swam on, and both teams screamed out their support from the bleachers. Rin pushed through the water, kicking and pulling with all his might. His arms and legs were burning with exhaustion, but he ignored it. Makoto, though freestyle wasn't his specialty, was no half-assed swimmer either, and Rin found himself struggling to cover the gap between them.

* * *

"Rin-chan is catching up to Mako-chan!"

"They're neck to neck!"

"Sousuke just finished! Damn, he doesn't even look tired!"

"That guy is in another league altogether."

"Oh, they touched! They both finished!"

"Who touched first, did you see?"

"It was impossible to tell, they were so close!"

"Had to be Rin-senpai, he really caught up in the end - "

"I think it was Makoto," Haru said; he had been leaning over the bars, squinting, showing an unusual level of interest.

The rankings flashed across the scene.

"They were less than a second apart!" Kou squealed. "I can't believe it!"

* * *

Makoto leaned heavily on the wall, catching his breath, before pushing his drenched bangs out of his eyes and finally looking up at the scoreboard with a mix of excitement and fear, his heart skipping a beat.

1. Yamazaki Sousuke

2. Tachibana Makoto

3. Matsuoka Rin

* * *

"Mako-chan won!" Nagisa cheered, jumping up and down in excitement.

"As expected of our captain," Rei said proudly. "Makoto-senpai is probably the most versatile among all of us at Iwatobi when it comes to swimming."

"I was so sure Rin-senpai would win," Nitori groaned. "He still managed to close up that gap towards the end. He's really amazing! Though Makoto-senpai is just as good!"

"Sousuke though," Seijurou muttered, shaking his head. "That guy… the way he swims… he's hardly human."

"I feel so conflicted!" Kou wailed. "I don't know if I should be happy or sad!"

* * *

Makoto gaped at the scoreboard, hardly believing what he saw. He stayed like that, the cheers from above washing over him, until Rin splashed him, jolting him out of his reverie. Makoto turned, to see that Rin's teeth were bared in a smile. Rin raised his hand.

"I - I came - second - " Makoto choked out in disbelief.

"I'm expecting a 'thank you' about now," Rin said, grinning as Makoto high-fived him.

"I can't believe it… how did I beat _you_?"

"You're going to have to take special coaching from me in butterfly," Rin said. "For regionals."

"But Sousuke - " Makoto began, and Rin cut him off. "There's only one heat for this, Makoto, haven't you noticed? That's why the top two qualify."

"Whaaat?" Makoto buried his face in his hands. "You mean I have to go through this _again_!"

"Stop being a baby," Rin chided him, before smiling. "Look at you. You're the one who beat me. I should be whining and _you _should be the one comforting _me, _not the other way around!"

Makoto smiled sunnily. "I guess you've grown up."

"No, I'm genuinely happy for you," Rin said, sounding puzzled. "In fact, I don't feel any resentment at all."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No… but this is _exactly _why you aren't suited to be rival material!"

Makoto laughed, pushing himself out of the pool. "We still have the relay left. My team against yours."

"Hah." Rin smirked. "For _that _I can say with confidence that you're going down."

* * *

"Makoto-senpai! Rin-san!"

"Oi, Matsuoka, Tachibana!"

"Congratulations, you both were amazing!"

Makoto and Rin looked up, seeing the the Iwatobi and Samezuka swim team members cheering and waving.

"Crazy race back there!"

"As expected of the two captains!"

"Mako-chaaan! Rinriiiin!"

Rin blanched at Nagisa's call, which was followed by snorts of laughter from the Samezuka team. "That idiot! What's wrong with him, calling me that in front of my entire damn team! Those brats will never respect me now. He's had it from me!"

"I think there's someone else you should be worrying about more than Nagisa…" Makoto said, trailing off, and Rin looked at him confusedly, before glancing back up to the bleachers. Momotaro had his arm looped around a disgruntled Kou's neck and was talking animatedly. Rin's eyes narrowed. "A bit forward of him, don't you think?" he snarled.

"Your relay is this afternoon, remember," Makoto told him, but Rin ignored him, racing towards the stairs to the bleachers, with a shout. "OI! MOMO! YOU'RE SHARKMEAT!"

* * *

"Well done, Tachibana." Sousuke nodded at Makoto as they passed one another. "For a first-time butterfly swimmer, I was impressed with how well you managed to make up with the other strokes."

"How - how did you know it was my first time?" Makoto asked sheepishly.

"I caught a glimpse of you when I was making my first turn," Sousuke replied. "You were really far away."

"Ah…"

"Given your performance in back and free, I figured the only reason you could be that slow at a stroke was because it was your first time. Sorry if I was being presumptuous."

"No, no worries," Makoto said, sweatdropping. "I never swam butterfly competitively until today. Never really swam it at all. Rin bullied me into entering the medley."

"Did he now?" Sousuke glanced over at the board, where Makoto's timing still showed. "That's just like him. He's always been attached to you Iwatobi lot."

"Well, we were in the same swim club as kids! We swam a relay together!"

"I'm _well _aware," Sousuke said shortly. "More importantly, though. If that was your first time swimming butterfly, imagine how far you could get with more concentrated training. You already have the idea physique for swimming."

"Ahaha, thanks," Makoto muttered, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Rin mentioned to me that you had said that before. _You_ were amazing though! And if you actually had the time to look around and see where the others were placed, you couldn't even have been trying that hard!"

Sousuke shrugged. "Still have a long way to go if I want to reach the Olympics."

His gaze suddenly darkened, and Makoto looked over in the direction Sousuke was staring in. Rin had joined the others on the bleachers, and seemed to have finished dealing with Momo, who was clutching his head and appeared to be bawling about something, while Kou stood by, looking mildly satisfied. Rin, however, was busy talking to Haru about something, and when Haru replied, Rin gave him a friendly punch on his shoulder. Makoto expected the usual, ugly feelings of jealousy to bubble up within him… the feelings that he had always tried to suppress, the feelings that always polluted the usual warmth he felt when he saw his friends talking or laughing together.

There was nothing.

Makoto smiled to himself, a genuine smile; talking with Rin really had made things a lot better. Makoto owed him, for that and the individual medley.

And then suddenly, Haru's deep blue eyes met his from across the bleachers, and Makoto felt his heart leap wildly. Haru held his gaze for a few moments before looking away. Trying to calm his erratic feelings, Makoto headed for the stairs.

* * *

"Mako-chan, you were amazing!" Nagisa gushed, leaping into Makoto's arms for a hug.

"Inspirational," Rei said, before adding, "though your butterfly needs some work."

Makoto laughed, prying Nagisa off of him and turning to Haru.

"Congratulations," Haru said slowly. "You swam really well."

Makoto couldn't help the smile the pulled at his lips; appraisal from Haru was always the best. "Thanks, Haru," he replied cheerfully.

"I saw you talking to Sousuke earlier," Haru mumbled.

"Oh, yeah," Makoto nodded.

"Was he - mean to you?" Haru sounded concerned, and Makoto raised an eyebrow. "No, he's really nice actually! Why would you ask that?"

"...no reason."

"Haru? Is something wrong?"

"No."

* * *

Makoto seemed to have gone back to his normal self, for which Haru was relieved. He was smiling and talking to everyone during lunch, and seemed in much brighter spirits than the previous day. His behavior towards Haru seemed to be normal as well - almost.

Haru didn't know why, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was up with Makoto, something was upsetting him. He supposed he owed it to Rin for cheering Makoto up, though that bothered him for some reason.

Wasn't _he _supposed to be the one who cheered Makoto up?

And if Rin was going to go enter Makoto in a race, shouldn't he have at least told Haru about it? Haru was Makoto's best friend after all, and Rin's friend too.

"Haru." Makoto's voice was warm as he held out his bento. "My mom packed extra mackerel! Do you want some?"

Haru studied him for a few moments - he had gone back to being the old Makoto - and Haru should have been happy, but he still couldn't shake the unease that Makoto was hiding something, and that Makoto was upset about something. Even if he had gotten over it, Haru wanted to know what had been upsetting him before.

Makoto blinked, confused by Haru's sudden intense scrutiny. "Haru? What's up?"

"Yes," Haru said decidedly. "Come with me to the locker room after lunch."

* * *

Makoto shuffled awkwardly, hands inside his pockets as they stood in the corridor near the lockers. It was just the two of them. Haru wondered how he should go about saying it.

"What did you want to talk about, Haru?"

Haru was so tempted to say 'drop the -chan', right then, out of instinct more than anything… but there was no need. And it bothered him. He stared at the ground for a few moments, before finally blurting out - "Why were you upset? Did I do something?!"

"H-huh?" Makoto looked stunned; he hadn't expected Haru to ask, so directly.

"You - you've been acting different since after our race," Haru said tremulously. "If I did something, I'm sorry. I wish you'd tell me. I don't know what to do."

Makoto looked rather distressed. "It's nothing, Haru, I'm so sorry for worrying you! I was just being silly."

"But - "

"It was wrong of me to leave without you today morning, and I'm sorry about that too - "

"Don't apologize, just tell me - "

"I'm back to normal now, okay, so we can go back to how we were before - "

"Damnit, Makoto, it's _not _okay!" Haru snarled, banging his fist against the locker. Makoto stared at him, shocked; Haru had _never _been one to display anger outright in such a manner, that was more of Rin's thing. And yet, Haru was shaking, his eyes narrowed, and his expression nothing if not _furious._

"Stop being such a martyr all the time! If something is bothering you just _say _it, you don't need to be so nice and self-sacrificing all the time."

Makoto gaped at him, and Haru continued his tirade.

"You think you're making me feel better by not telling me what it is that's bothering you, but I can clearly see that you're upset, so it only makes me worse that you're hiding it from me!"

"Haru, I - "

"Stop hiding stuff! Stop lying to me, Makoto. You've been lying to me since yesterday and you've been acting weird, ever since you wanted to race me. I don't understand you anymore!"

There was a long silence after that, punctuated by Haru's breathing. Makoto was at a loss of words. Never in his life had he seen Haru that riled up, or even that _emotive. _He was overcome by a sudden rush of guilt; his behavior must have deeply hurt Haru, for Haru to be feeling bad enough to display such emotions and say such things, uncharacteristic of him otherwise.

"Haru, I'm so sorry," Makoto began, and Haru cut him off, voice icy cold.

"Don't apologize. If you don't want to tell me there's nothing that I can do about it."

Haru sounded sad then, so sad, and so _lonely _and Makoto wanted nothing more than to run up to him and pull him into his arms. But he couldn't do that.

"I was jealous," Makoto said finally, deciding that if he could tell Rin, he could tell Haru too. Haru didn't speak, but waited, letting him continue. "I was jealous of you and Rin. Your rivalry. You guys share something special, something I wanted to be a part of, but something that I know I'll never share with you."

"I don't understand. Why would you want - "

"I wanted to be the one you swam like that with, swam _seriously _with. But I just felt like I was never good enough, never good enough for you or to swim with you - "

"What - what are you saying?!" Haru gasped, eyes flashing. "Not good enough? You - "

"I thought since it's my last tournament swimming with you I'd give it a go but - "

"Wait." Haru cut him off. "It's not our last tournament, we all qualified in our individual races, we still have regionals. And there's the team relay."

Makoto hung his head then, refusing to meet Haru's eyes.

"Actually, I - I don't think I can make it to regionals this year…"

"What are you talking about?!" Haru stepped forwards, grabbing Makoto's shoulders. "You qualified, in backstroke and the individual medley! You already made it!"

"What I meant to say was…" Makoto took a deep breath, his green eyes glistening, unable to look at Haru straight. "I - I won't be here for regionals."

"What? Why - why not?"

"I'm sorry, Haru!" Makoto cried, distraught. "I really would want to follow you, but I'm not good enough! I'm not Olympic-level and never will be, no matter how hard I try!"

Haru knitted his eyebrows, looking confused. "Who ever said anything about the Olympics?"

"You love swimming Haru, and you're the best in the water. I know it. Everyone knows it. You have to follow Rin into the Olympics, it's what will be best for you - "

"Wait - I don't want - "

" - and I will always be cheering you from the sidelines, but it's not my place to be there by your side. I'm not worthy - "

"Makoto - stop - " Haru shook him by the shoulders urgently. "You don't know what you're saying, _I _don't know what you're saying."

" - I'm not as good as you and Rin, so I'll be left behind eventually!"

"Nobody's leaving you behind, Makoto! I wouldn't - "

"I - I have to do something, you know, something with my life," Makoto rambled on. "My grades are decent enough, and my father is getting old. He'll probably want to retire in a few years. I need to get a good job after college, so I can look after Rin and Ran when they're older."

"Huh?"

"There's a test - for a university in Tokyo - it clashes with the regional dates, but I - "

"_What_?" Haru let go of Makoto, stumbling back a few steps. He stared at him, shaking slightly, blue eyes wide.

"I'm really sorry, Haru," Makoto bit his lips, tears pricking his eyes. "I really - wanted to - stay by your side - swim with you - "

"You - you're _leaving_?" Makoto didn't know who a mere whisper could convey so much _pain. _And then he made the mistake of meeting Haru's eyes; Haru's wide, tortured, agonized eyes.

"Haru, I - "

"You - you never told me you - _Tokyo_?!" Haru practically choked out.

"Haru…" Makoto reached towards him, but Haru pushed him away.

"No! Leave me alone, I - " Haru's voice choked up, and Makoto thought he could see tears glistening in Haru's beautiful blue eyes.

"Haru, I had to, I can't keep up with you, and besides you have Rin - " Makoto sounded tortured, but not as tortured as Haru, who spoke next, his voice cold, dead.

"You said you were scared that I would leave you behind, Makoto. But it's you who's leaving me behind." And then he turned around and began walking away. Makoto ran after him, catching his arm. "Haru, wait - " Haru turned around, glaring at Makoto out of red-rimmed, teary eyes, and Makoto's heart dropped.

He had _never, _in all their years together, seen Haru cry before.

_I made him cry. I really am the worst friend ever. _Makoto hated himself more than ever in that moment. But before he could say anything, or do any damage control, Nagisa burst into the corridor, looking panicked, followed by a frazzled-looking Rei.

"Haru-chan! Mako-chan!" Nagisa ran up to them, before doubling over and panting. "We've been - looking all over - for you!"

"What's wrong?" Makoto asked. "Our relay isn't for another hour, is it?"

"They preponed our match," Rei said, as Nagisa caught his breath. "It actually starts in just under three minutes."

"What?!" Makoto cried. "Is that even allowed?"

"Come on!" Nagisa tugged on Makoto's wrist frantically. "We'll be disqualified if we don't hurry!"

Makoto cast a sideways glance at Haru - he seemed anything but ready to swim at that point.

_It's Haru though. He'll be fine the moment he hits the water. If anything, it'll make him feel better._

* * *

"What the fuck do you mean you can't swim?! Sprain? How? What? Who the fuck does that, are you retarded, seriously? Just wait till practice on Monday, you're screwed! Moron." Rin jabbed the red button on his phone, effectively ending the call.

"Rin-senpai?" Nitori asked worriedly. "Is something the matter."

"No, I yell at people on the phone as a hobby," Rin snapped, fuming. Nitori continued to stand there, looking oddly apprehensive. "What do you want?" Rin growled at him.

"I guess you didn't hear the announcement because you were busy on the phone," Nitori mumbled. "But the relay has been preponed."

"What?!" Rin practically roared. "To _when_?!"

"It starts in five minutes actually."

"You're fucking kidding me," Rin muttered, following it up with a string of colorful expletives that made Nitori blush.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" he asked, feeling rather glum that Rin was in such a dark mood. Rin looked at him for a moment, before his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Yes, actually. There is."

"What is it, senpai? Tell me and I'll do it immediately!"

Rin rolled his eyes. "You're in luck. Nakagawa just sprained his ankle running down the stairs chasing after some girl."

"Why - why does that make _me _lucky, senpai?" Nitori asked, though he was trembling slightly. Rin grinned at him.

"Congratulations, Ai-chan. You just made the relay team."

* * *

"Senpai, thank you so much for this chance! I promise I won't let you down!" Nitori asserted for probably the tenth time in the last two minutes.

"I get the damn point, now shut up for a bit," Rin snapped at him, pulling back on his goggle straps after he adjusted his cap. His eyes flicked around the poolside.

_Where the hell are those Iwatobi idiots? Don't tell me they didn't hear the announcement. _

Rin heaved a sigh of relief, when just a few seconds later, the Iwatobi swim team came running towards the pool, haphazardly stripping out of their jackets and track pants and dumping them on the ground in a messy pile.

Rin opened his mouth, a taunt ready at his lips - just to psych out the competition, nothing serious - but his words died in his throat when they drew nearer and he caught sight of Haru's face.

Haru's eyes were red and puffy, and his nose was slightly pink too.

_Could he have a cold? _Rin wondered, before glancing over at Makoto. Makoto looked like he'd seen a dying kitten, and the brunet lifted a hand to hastily wipe at his eyes - and was that a stray tear Rin had seen?

_Don't tell me they've had another lover's spat. _Rin shook his head to himself, smacking his forehead. _Just before a relay too! What dumbasses!_

It was too late to worry about that though. They had a relay to swim after all. The time had finally come for the awaited showdown between Iwatobi and Samezuka.

* * *

"Oh, thank goodness I made it on time!" Miho cried, squeezing into the stands next to Kou. "It's a good thing Sasabe-san insisted on coming early. I can't believe they would just prepone the relay like that!"

"I heard Makoto and Rin took part in the individual medley!" Goro said gruffly. "Man, I would have liked to see _that. _Rin's backstroke is legendary. As is Makoto's butterfly."

"I think Momotaro has a video or something," Kou said, looking stressed out. "You made it on time but _they're _still nowhere to be found! Haruka-senpai and Makoto-senpai disappeared awhile back and Nagisa and Rei went looking for them and - oh _there _they are! Damn it, these stupid boys are going to give me a heart attack! If I die early, of stress or something, Amakata-sensei, my funeral costs are on _them_!"

"Now, now, don't say that." Miho smiled sweetly, patting Kou on the head. "How do you think their chances are?"

"It's hard to tell," Kou said. "Makoto-senpai and Nagisa will probably get a good lead since they both placed first in their individual events, though Momo's backstroke is good too. Rin will almost certainly close the gap with Rei during the butterfly lap. The question is, how much."

"Rin's swimming butterfly?" Goro asked. "Who's Haru against?"

"Sousuke." Kou sighed. "That's another problem. Haru may be fast, but Sousuke… he's training for the Olympics."

"How did Haru manage to beat him in the individual race then?!"

"Sousuke didn't take part in the individual race. He's probably just here to scout out the competition."

"But Haru's _really _fast!"

"I know." Kou gritted her teeth. "That's why it's going to be the toughest showdown between Iwatobi and Samezuka yet."

"Oh look, they're starting!" Miho cried. "Let's cheer them on, shall we!"

* * *

Makoto managed to gain a lead of a couple meters over Momo in the first lap, and Nagisa managed to double Iwatobi's lead against Nitori in the second. Rin, however, quickly caught up to Rei, and by the time the butterfly lap was over, they were both nearly neck to neck, Rei's palm slamming the wall just a split-second before Rin's, giving Haru a moment's early start.

"What the hell?" Rin looked up to see Haru take off, fly over him and land in the water with the splash; Sousuke had hit the water before Haru had even moved, and was already slicing ahead with powerful strokes. Rin pulled himself out of the pool, yanking off his cap and shaking his hair.

Rei had touched before him, or maybe they had touched at the same time. Haru _couldn't _have gotten such a late start unless…

_Don't tell me he actually messed up the exchange?!_

It wasn't possible though. It defied logic. Haru's reflexes were super-sharp, he _never _screwed up starts or exchanges.

"What on earth is Haruka-senpai doing?!"

"Is Haru-chan unwell?!"

At the sound of Rei's and Nagisa's voices, Rin's attention snapped back to the relay. Sousuke seemed to have gained quite a lead, pulling ahead smoothly.

And Haru…

Was he splashing too much? Yes, he definitely was. Even elementary school kids at Iwatobi didn't splash that much when they kicked; it was a sign that their kicks were wasting energy, and Coach Sasabe had always been strict about their legs.

Rin's eyes grew wide.

_It can't be…_

He had always watched Haru's swimming, admired it. Haru had a beautiful form, and moved so fluidly, so naturally through the water. He made it look so easy, and Rin always envied how he managed to maintain a perfect form while swimming at such a ridiculously fast speed, looking the entire time like he wasn't even trying.

But this time… this time Haru's stroke was different. It was slower, _much _slower than Rin was used to seeing during competitions. Rin had seen Haru swim slowly from time to time - when he was relaxing, taking extra laps after practice. That wasn't even the problem. No, the problem more than just Haru's speed. It was his style.

Nanase Haruka seemed to be _struggling _in the water.

* * *

Haru pushed forwards, his legs thrashing. He felt weirdly breathless, and his chest was burning from exerting. The water sloshed around him and it seemed to be obstructing him, impeding him.

_What's going on? Am I… am I fighting the water?_

Haru fought on, his arms paining from the labour. The water seemed to be pushing him back, overwhelming him, threatening to drown him.

_The water is alive. Once you dive in, it will bare it's fangs and attack. But there's nothing to fear. Don't resist the water._

And yet, he was resisting the water. No, the water was resisting _him. _

_Why is this happening?! _Panic filled Haru's mind as he forged through the blue, except for it wasn't blue anymore, it was black, pitch black that threatened to swallow him.

_No. _

The water was attacking him, with his fangs, and for the first time, Haru felt _fear._

* * *

"Haru-chan…" Nagisa trailed off, looking horrified. "What - what's happening to him?"

"He's lagging behind," Rei said, aghast. "He's in…"

"Fourth place." Makoto couldn't believe his eyes. The Sousuke and Haruka showdown was one they had all been awaiting, and even if Haru didn't manage to beat Sousuke - who was now very close to finishing - Iwatobi's only real competition had ever been Samezuka.

And _now_, Haru was lagging behind two other swimmers as well, swimmers who would normally never come even _close _to beating him.

On top of that, his form - though average for the competition at prefecturals - was _definitely _subpar for Nanase Haruka.

* * *

_Help me._

Haru reached out through the blackness, desperately.

_Someone, help me._

The water roiled and rushed around him, suffocating him, as he struggled to see. He thrust his arms forwards, kicking for all he was worth, but the water was like a wall, unbreakable, impregnable.

And then a face filled his mind, a cheerful smile, warm green eyes the color of fresh grass.

_Makoto!_

Makoto smiled, extending a hand and Haru reached out too, stretching. Their fingers brushed.

_Makoto, help me. Save me. _

Haru made to grasp Makoto's hand, his fingers curling. But then Makoto's fingers slipped away.

_No! No, wait! Makoto! Don't go! Don't leave me!_

Haru reached for him, desperately, calling out in his mind, but Makoto's hand was gone and Makoto was gone and -

_No! Come back!_

Haru's palm slammed against something hard.

* * *

"He did it!" Nagisa gasped. "He managed to come second. We still qualify!"

"Thank goodness," Rei said, clutching his chest. "I almost had a heart-attack."

"It's a good thing Haru-chan managed to pick up his speed at the end," Nagisa said. "Though his stroke seemed a lot wilder and messier than usual, don't you think?"

Makoto was silent, eyes wide, not saying a word.

Rin came running over as Haru pulled himself out of the water; Samezuka had finished with a good six second lead, but the victory wasn't that satisfying when the competitors were clearly not swimming up to the mark, or even close.

"Haru, what the hell was that?" Rin demanded.

"Aren't you glad you won?" Haru asked him dully, before turning to Rei and Nagisa, not meeting Makoto's eyes. "Sorry."

And then he began walking away.

"Haru-chan!" Nagisa cried. "Don't apologize! We still qualified! Are you feeling okay though?!"

He made to run after him, but Rin stopped him. "Wait."

"But Haru-chan's obviously upset!" Nagisa looked like he was on the verge of tears as well. "He wouldn't swim like that normally, something must be bothering him!"

Rin turned to Makoto, who was looked rather uneasy about the entire situation. "Makoto," he barked.

"Wh-what?"

Rin jabbed his head towards where Haru had left. "You go talk to him. Sort your shit out already."

* * *

Makoto found Haru outside of the arena, sitting on a bench under a tree, his face buried in his hands. Makoto's heart plummeted at the sight.

"H-Haru?" he called tentatively. Haru slowly looked up. His sapphire eyes seemed dead.

"Makoto." Haru's voice cracked.

"What - what happened to you back there?"

"The water - " Haru's voice wavered again. "The water - was attacking me. I couldn't swim. I was - I was afraid."

Makoto's eyes widened; it seemed so unlike Haru to feel such a thing, much less admit it. His mouth went dry. "...why?"

"Because I realized something," Haru said quietly, standing up. "I can't swim like that."

"Like what?"

"You don't get it?" Haru took a step towards Makoto.

"No..."

"It's meaningless without Makoto."

"Wh-what?" Makoto's heart leapt; because Haru couldn't have _possibly _said that, the exact words Makoto had desperately wished he would say but had long given up on.

Haru's gaze pierced Makoto's, and Makoto realized that Haru's eyes were filled with tears. "Swimming! It's meaningless without Makoto!" Haru clutched at Makoto's damp shirt, tears spilling out of his blue eyes as he echoed Makoto's own words from years ago.

"H-Haru!"

"You know when I asked you - what you swim for?" Haru sniffed. "You said you swim to be with your friends."

"Y-yeah…"

"You want to know what I swim for, Makoto?" Haru's voice cracked.

"You swim to be free, right?"

"Yes, I do. But there's another reason, another _person _I swim for."

"..."

"I swim for _you, _Makoto."

"Haru..."

"All those years ago, I only joined Iwatobi swim club because _you _wanted to join it."

"_I_ only wanted to join because _you_ loved swimming and I thought you'd have fun!"

"I did have fun," Haru whispered. "I had so much fun, Makoto, and you know why? It's because you were there with me. And Rin and Nagisa too, but mostly you."

"But you gave it up," Makoto cried. "Once Rin left, you just gave up everything - "

"I hurt him, Makoto, more than anything. He cried! I felt like such a bad person! And you were still - you were still there with me. We did other things. But now - " A fresh wave of tears streamed down Haru's cheeks, and he looked utterly heartbroken. "You're _going away_!"

And then Makoto couldn't stand it anymore; the dam broke, and the tears came freely. He wrapped his arms around Haru, pulling him close.

* * *

Haru stiffened momentarily as Makoto's arms came around him, his heart pounding rapidly. Makoto's arms were strong, and _warm _and Haru could feel his firm, muscled chest under his damp t-shirt. The scent of Makoto - citrusy, sunny - washed over him; it felt _good _and right, and finally, Haru felt at peace, the swirling whirlpool of panic and confusion within him calming down. Haru clutched at Makoto tighter, burying his face in Makoto's neck, and Makoto nuzzled him, hugging him tighter.

"I'm sorry, Haru-chan," Makoto murmured into his hair. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm so sorry."

Haru noticed that Makoto's voice was uneven, and that his shoulders were shaking; Makoto was crying too. The thought made Haru's heart clench, and he pulled his arms out of Makoto's grasp to wrap them around his broad shoulders. They stayed like that, holding one another. Haru felt his stomach flutter strangely as Makoto's hands moved up his back, one of his hands coming to gently cradle Haru's head. Makoto's fingers stroked Haru's silky, soft hair, and Haru enjoyed the feeling very much, though it made the weird fluttery feeling in his stomach intensify.

It felt like there were butterflies in his stomach, and Haru couldn't for the life of him figure out why. It would probably be a good idea to ask Rei. Rei was smart, and liked butterflies. He would definitely know the answer.

Haru wished they could stay like that forever; and they could, only Makoto was going to ruin _everything _by leaving. It wasn't fair, and Haru didn't think he could stand that.

Rin leaving had been sudden, unpleasant. But Haru hadn't been that close to Rin at the time.

But Makoto… Haru had been with Makoto since he remembered. He had always thought that they would stay that way together forever.

And they would, Haru decided.

"I'm coming with you," Haru mumbled into Makoto's shirt.

Makoto's hands came to his shoulders and he made a move to step back, but Haru clung onto him tighter. "Don't _go," _he commanded. "Don't leave me."

"Haru…" Makoto pried him gently away, and Haru glared at him. Makoto gave him a small, sad smile, though his soft eyes seemed softer than usual when they met Haru's. "Haru, you're ideal for competitive swimming, you should honestly consider - "

"I don't want to try for the Olympics," Haru said flatly. "That's Rin's dream, not mine. I just want to be free. And swim - "

"But you can swim free all you want if you're training for the Olympics - "

"No. I don't like competing that much. And Rin said they'd make me do land-training and eat things other than mackerel."

Makoto chuckled at this, his expression tender. "Well you have to start regulating your diet at some point, Haru-chan, it's good for you - "

"Mackerel is good for me - "

"And the land-training won't be _that _much, you'll get to swim a lot, you'll be in the pool for eight hours a day probably and think of what it'll be like if you win an Olympic medal! I know you could, too! You're so talented and - "

"_No," _Haru said firmly. "I don't _want _those things. I don't _want _an Olympic gold medal. I want to swim in my own way, and with… with Makoto." His voice fell to a near-whisper towards the end, and Makoto had to strain to hear his words, but when he did, an intensely happy feeling blossomed in his chest and spread through his entire body.

"Haru…" Makoto was blushing till the tips of his ears, and Haru felt his cheeks heat up as well at the _look_ Makoto was giving him.

"So I'll apply with you to Tokyo or whatever," Haru muttered. "We can both join a swim team there."

"Is that - is that what you _really _want?"

"Yes," Haru replied immediately, shooting Makoto another glare just to drive his point in. Makoto sniffled, rubbing away his tears hastily, before reaching out.

His thumb brushed Haru's cheek, and it felt like a tingle of electricity had passed through Haru's body.

_Naturally, _Haru thought to himself, _water conducts electricity, and I'm wet. Though it doesn't make sense why Makoto touching me would cause a current. I guess I'll ask Rei about that too. _

Makoto brushed away Haru's tears. "I'm afraid I won't be able to match up with you like Rin did - "

"_Stop _saying stupid stuff like that," Haru ordered him. "There's nothing about 'matching up' or being 'good enough' here. You're fine the way you are. Besides, your speciality is backstroke. Though, you should probably start focusing more on the other strokes too, now that you've qualified for the individual medley. Especially butterfly."

Makoto gave a quiet laugh, rubbing his head. "Yeah, that was a disaster, right? I guess I should take up Rin's offer for private training."

"Rin offered you private training lessons?" Haru asked sharply.

"Yeah…" Makoto said warily, a little taken aback by Haru's tone.

_He couldn't possibly be jealous, _Makoto thought to himself, but then decided that there was actually a lot to Haru that he had assumed, and been proved wrong about. _Maybe I can't read him quite as well as I thought I could. _

"You - you should come too," Makoto finally suggested. "And help me out with my freestyle."

"That's just troublesome," Haru said, though his expression had softened. "But I guess, if you want me to."

"I'd like that. Thanks, Haru-chan."

"Drop the -chan."

"Oops." Makoto smiled sunnily, before growing thoughtful. "Hey, Haru?"

"..."

"Why didn't you want to race me before?" Makoto asked. "I mean - it seemed like you didn't want to."

"Because you're Makoto," Haru replied simply. "I may race Rin, or Sousuke, or whoever else. But not Makoto. At least, not unless I have to."

"Why not though?"

"Because I don't want to swim _against_ you," Haru mumbled. "I want to swim _with _you."

Makoto felt his heart leap, yet again, at Haru's words. He thought it was impossible to be so ridiculously happy, and yet, his heart was swelling at such a rate that Makoto thought it would burst out of his chest.

"Come to think of it, there's no point in me or Rin coaching you if you're ditching regionals." Haru shot Makoto a dirty look, and Makoto waved his hands, looking rather guilty. "Yeah… I'll try to figure something out about that if I can. Maybe see if they have other test dates elsewhere. I'll probably have to travel to another region to take them though. I don't know if that'll be possible, it'll be expensive too…"

"Makoto."

Makoto sighed, though he was still smiling. "For Haru, I'll do anything."

* * *

_They're such a pair of saps. _Rin rolled his eyes, though a small smile was gracing his lips, as he watched his two friends hug it out from behind the wall where he was totally _not _spying on them. He had just wanted to make sure they were okay, that was all. Satisfied, Rin shoved his hands into his pockets and began walking back to the arena; Haru and Makoto would come in their own time.

___There is no way I would ever get that emotional about anything,_ Rin thought to himself, scoffing inwardly at the idea for a few moments, before he flushed. _Of course. I already created quite a scene myself last year, didn't I?_

* * *

**Finish**

* * *

"Rei-chan~! You and I are doing the end commentary this time!" Nagisa sang.

"I'm aware, I've prepared my speech - "

"Neee, Rei-chan, you're so boring! Besides, today we're going to answering fan-letters?"

"Fan letters? We have - fans?"

"Yep, we do! Sooo, I'll read out the first one! Oooh, it's addressed to Haru-chan!"

"Don't you think you should let _him _read it then?"

"Nah, he won't mind! 'Dear Haru-chan, have you ever - "

"Nagisa-kun! That's a breach of privacy - "

"Considered a threesome with Makoto and RIn?! Wait, I didn't know we were an ecchi anime?!"

"We're _not _an ecchi anime - "

"What's going on?"

"Haruka-senpai? What are you doing here?"

"Haru-chan! Your fans want you, Makoto and Rin to have a threesome!"

"Wh-what?!" Makoto spluttered, flushing.

"What the hell?" Rin hissed. "How could someone write such a thing?!"

"Makoto-senpai! Rin-san! You're here too?!"

"I'm not sharing Makoto with Rin."

"H-Haru!"

"The fuck?! Why am _I _the third-wheel?!"

"Naturally. Makoto likes me more."

"That - that's just because you two have known each other for longer! Besides, sex isn't just about _liking, _it's about who could be the better lover."

"You think that's you?"

"H-Haru! Rin! Why are you even _arguing _about this?!"

"Hell yeah I would be! You'd be calm and emotionless, like a fish - "

"Your teeth would hurt - "

"Is that a challenge?"

"Not exactly."

"Makoto. You be the judge."

"What - no - wait - ahhhh!"

"This is so inappropriate, we're going to get banned," Rei wailed.

"Sorry, this is getting a bit _mature _for our ratings," Nagisa said apologetically. "We're going to have to go!"

* * *

_A/N - sorry for the crack at the end. _

_Hope you liked it. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think._

_If you are actually interested in a Makoto/Haru/Rin threesome smuttish fic, do check out one I wrote earlier 'The Killer Whale, The Shark and The Dolphin', it's on my page._

_I'm planning on writing a somewhat continuation oneshot of this soon, probably called 'Future Fish' (original, I know :P) and it'll be about their plans for the future! _

_Thanks for reading._

_See you next water time! _


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